And They All Fall Down
by AintFraidaNoGhosts
Summary: Sequel to "Ring Around the Rosie." They caught the bad guy, but now the Doctor has more questions than answers. When a new kidnapping case requires the Doctor's specific brand of expertise, will he find the time to decipher those two words following him through time and space?
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is! The sequel to "Ring Around the Rosie"! Your reviews keep me motivated so I would love to hear what you think!**

The Doctor nodded solemnly to the guard who buzzed him through the gate at HMP Belmarsh. He began emptying his pockets distractedly, only vaguely noticing the young guard's eyes go wide as he spent nearly three minutes pulling the various bits and bobs from his dimensionally transcendental pockets. When he finally placed the last alien-themed rubber duck on the pile, he followed yet another guard down the labyrinthine halls and to a small room. In fact, the Doctor inwardly scoffed at using the word "room" when it was really more of a "booth", with a clear divider across the middle and a single desk on either side.

Claude Giannini was sitting on the other side, looking utterly at ease despite the fact that he was remanded to a prison well-known for housing the most dangerous criminals in London. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his blood ran cold. He had to fight the age-old instinct creeping into his spine to tear apart the room and destroy the one who had dared threatened his mate.

He forced himself to calm, to dampen down his reflexes. He sat in the provided chair, taking in Claude's appearance. He seemed composed, his hair and face neatly groomed, looking almost ordinary despite being dressed in the standard dark prison garb and the fact that his wrists and ankles were in chains.

"Dr. John Smith," Claude said evenly. "Welcome to my humble abode. I'd offer you some tea, but well...you understand."

"I do." He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "Though I appreciate you taking the time out of your clearly very busy schedule to meet with me."

"Anything for an old friend...or foe." He smiled coldly. "And how is our princess?"

The Doctor felt his hands clench into fists while he fought to keep his expression neutral. "She's well. Just off a case, home sleeping at the moment."

"And you felt you had to come without her. I am intrigued, Dr. Smith. What can I do for you?"

The Doctor sighed, once again wondering why he had decided to come here. Information, he reminded himself. He needed information. "The ring you left at Rose's door. _Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. _What made you write that?"

Giannini tilted his head to the side, his expression thoughtful. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. "Not sure what you mean."

"It was different, obviously. Why did you decide to put that? It didn't really make sense...didn't fit your pattern." He leaned forward, resting his arms flat on the ledge and regarding Giannini seriously. "What did you mean by it?"

For the first time, the man in front of the Doctor looked confused. "I'm not quite sure. Suppose it just sounded good at the time. I was fairly irate, Doctor. I still hadn't calmed down. Your girl is quite a tease...gets a man all worked up and then doesn't even give him the satisfaction of a good kill."

"Yes, well, forgive me if I don't adequately show my sympathy," the Doctor replied, standing up. "We're done here. And if I never see you again, it will be too soon."

"Oh now, we both know you don't mean that. You'll be back," he told him, once again adopting his cool, collected demeanor. "And I'll be right here. Oh, and bring Inspector Tyler next time, won't you? I miss her a great deal."

"Oh believe me, Giannini, you don't want Rose here."

Before the prisoner could respond, the Doctor stood, turned his back, and was striding out of the room, his mind barely registering what his accompanying guard was saying. He found himself back at the security desk and began distractedly tucking his belongings back into his pockets, thinking back on what had brought him to Belmarsh Prison in the first place.

His dream a few nights before had been unsettling. The full memories of his regeneration were still lost to him. He'd written it off as a bought of not-unusual amnesia, but now, almost a linear year later, they still hadn't returned. He remembered he and Jack being transmatted to Satellite Five and facing down the Daleks. He'd been sure he was dead, unable to risk the entire planet in order to stop the fleet from taking over the universe.

Then...nothing. He'd woken up on the floor of the TARDIS a completely new man. Jack looked pale and shaken, but made a comment about liking his new hair before the regeneration sickness had taken over and they'd retired to the Boeshane Peninsula so that he could recover.

The only thing he'd always remembered from the satellite was the front name of the corporation. Bad Wolf Industries. And then his dream, the little snippets of Rose, glowing golden and beautiful, proclaiming herself to be the Bad Wolf. Then the ring...an addled mind using the same words from a hundred thousand years in the future.

He had no idea what to make of all this. He could feel a dull ache building in his temples, as if his mind was warning him not to probe too deeply. Maybe it wasn't time for him to know yet.

As he left the prison and made his way to the car he and Jack shared, he felt a wave of anxiety pass through him. He hadn't seen much of Rose for the past few days, and now after his encounter with Giannini he felt even more unnerved and acutely aware that she wasn't in her proper place next to him. He pulled out of the car park and headed back towards London. Rose was most likely still sleeping, having worked nights the past few evenings, but even curling up next to her and just listening to her deep, even breaths sounded like the most divine activity in all the universe.

* * *

><p>Rose awoke from unsettling dreams filled with flashes of golden light to a weight dipping the mattress next to her. She rolled over sleepily and met the Doctor's warm brown eyes that crinkled happily once he noticed she was awake.<p>

"Afternoon, DI Tyler," he murmured, brushing the hair out of her face and leaning in for a gentle kiss. "I have missed you."

"Missed you," she croaked, chuckling at the sound of her voice and clearing her throat. "Time is it?"

"Nearly noon," he offered, kissing across her cheek and down her neck. "All done, then?"

"Very nearly," she whispered, gasping as he found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. "Right there, please."

He grinned against her throat and continued to lavish attention there as heat pooled in her abdomen. She'd barely seen him over the last several days, and ever since they'd returned from Glasgow they'd barely gone a day without making love. He was like a drug to her, and the last few days she'd been acutely aware of what she'd been missing.

He rolled her ever so gently onto her back, his hands cradling her head as if she were made of glass while his lips never left her neck. Rose gasped once more and wove her hands into his hair, throwing her head back and only too willingly surrendering to his touch.

* * *

><p>Rose felt completely at peace curled up against the Doctor, skin on skin, the long, lean lines of his body fitting perfectly against her curves. This post-coital bliss was one of the greatest feelings in the universe, she was sure of it. No one had ever made her feel this way before, not even the poor excuse for a man she had been set to marry just over a year ago. The Doctor always loved to touch her, even chastely, but seemed to cling to her after making love like an overgrown, gangly koala and she loved it.<p>

"So where were you all morning?" she asked, trailing her fingertips though the small smattering of hair over his chest.

He stiffened for a split second before relaxing once more. "I...had to go up to Belmarsh. Tie up some loose ends with Giannini."

"Oh, God," Rose groaned, lifting her head so she could see his face. "He's still alive, right?"

He huffed. "I resent that implication." She sent him a glare and he sighed before stroking her back comfortingly. "I didn't harm a hair on his head, Rose."

"'S not what's _on _his head that I'm worried about..."

"Rose, really, I haven't liquefied anyone's brains in centuries. I learned my lesson the first dozen times. And they all regenerated just fine, thanks."

"Yeah, well, you do have a history with this guy...and it's not like they could pin it on you..."

"I promise, he is perfectly healthy."

"And you're not going to tell me what you talked about, are you?"

He sighed, pulling her tighter against him and stroking her hair. "I'm not even sure of it myself. It's not something you need to worry about. I promise, I'll let you know if it is."

"All right," Rose murmured. "You do realize I'm cutting you a whole lot of slack here?"

"I do, and I'm a very lucky man."

"Glad you realize it," she said, fighting back a yawn. "Mind if I catch a few more hours? Figures I finally got the weekend off and I'm gonna spend it sleeping. How long can you stay?"

"I'll be here for as long as you'll have me," he murmured against her hair.

"Mmmm...forever then," Rose whispered, only half-aware of what she was saying as he gripped her closer to him and she drifted off in his arms.

* * *

><p>Their hopes for a quiet weekend were dashed remarkably quickly. Rose wasn't expected back at work until Monday morning, but when her mobile began ringing rather insistently before she was even done with her coffee Sunday morning, she knew her plans for the day would have to be put on hold.<p>

"Tyler," she answered, barely restraining the annoyance in her voice. The Doctor grinned at her ruefully as he spread marmalade on his toast.

"You're going to hate me, love," her father's stressed voice replied. "But I need you down here as soon as humanely possible."

"'Take the weekend off, Rose," she deepened her voice in a rough impersonation of her father. "'You've worked so hard, Rose. We won't need you, Rose.'"

Both her father and the Doctor chuckled, and Rose cracked a small grin. "What do you need, dad?"

"A Starbucks and a scone? And you, ready to work?"

Rose sighed. "Remember how you never bought me a pony? I'm cashing it in now."

"Rose, if you come down here and save my arse, you're going to get an entire _horse-drawn carriage_. Or a cupcake. Whichever I can find first."

"Slave driver. See you in an hour."

"Bless you," her father replied as she ended the call and met the Doctor's amused gaze.

"Trouble?" he asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Trouble," she agreed.

His gaze darkened and his grin turned heated. "Shower?"

Rose tucked her tongue between her teeth and took great satisfaction in how his eyes zeroed in on her mouth and how his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably as he swallowed.

"Shower," she agreed, pushing back on her chair and darting towards her bedroom. "Race ya!"

The growl she received in return sent a thrill down her spine, and she very quickly turned her attention back to the mobile in her hand.

"Dad?" she said after dialing the familiar number. "Yeah, better make it an hour an and a half..."


	2. Chapter 2

**RishiDiams totally saved my life and kicked out TWO BETAS today! Sorry this has taken forever, but it is completely outlined and I fully intend to finish this series! Thank you all for bearing with me and for your continued reviews and support! YOU ROCK!**

Rose and the Doctor somehow managed to enter the station on time, him immediately breaking off to find Jack while Rose made her way immediately to her father's office. She knocked on the closed door and entered upon hearing his stressed voice reply, "Come in!"

A man and woman were sitting in the chairs opposite her father, both looking tired and worn down while still dressed and coiffed impeccably. Her father's face was concerned, but held a hint of relief when he saw her standing there.

"Detective Tyler, thank you for gracing us with your presence," Pete muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, sir, I had to move some things around to make it in on my day off."

Her father gave her a small smirk. "Dr. and Mrs. Clark, this is Detective Inspector Rose Tyler and apart from her cheek, she's one of our best. Tyler, the Clarks' daughter, Theresa, has been missing for three days. We're opening up a case and could use all the help we can get."

He handed her a case file and Rose nodded, going over the beginnings of the investigation. There wasn't much, just some interview notes in her father's handwriting and a copy of the official missing person's report. The lovely young woman's photo was also in the file, one that looked professionally done with her long, sleek brown hair perfectly straight and her huge blue eyes looking directly into the camera.

Though why her father was taking such a personal interest in this case was something that sat in the back of her mind. He was an insanely busy man, and he gave as much personal attention to each case as he could, but there were many others who could conduct interviews and build a case report. There was something going on here, something that required the Chief's interest.

"May I have a word with you, Chief Tyler?" Rose asked, trying to sound as casual as she could. He gave a brief nod, and she smiled reassuringly at the Clarks as they stepped outside and shut the door behind them.

"What's going on here?" Rose asked. "All of these case notes are in your handwriting. I haven't seen you write case notes since I was at uni."

Pete sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I was asked to take a special interest in this case. Dr. Clark is the lead researcher on the most recent round of stem cell experiments that they hope will lead to a cure for cancer..."

"Oh, I'll bet people don't like that," Rose breathed.

"No. His lab has gotten dozens of threats. MP Blake has been a huge supporter of the research, and he gave me a call asking to make sure I've got my best people on it."

Rose sighed. "We don't have much to go on. She was talking to her mum on the phone, the call cut out, they haven't heard from her since..."

"I know, Rose. Trust me, I know. But please...let's try our best on this one, all right?"

"Always do," she replied, turning back and re-entering the office. "Sorry, Dr. and Mrs. Clark. Had a few things to discuss with Chief Tyler. Now, why don't you tell me how your daughter seemed the last time you spoke."

"Fine," Mrs. Clark responded. Something in her voice was...odd. It was soft, sounded stressed, but there was a quality that she couldn't place. She furrowed her brow and continued to listen. "She said she was coming from class and she was meeting a friend for lunch. I thought that the call had simply dropped..."

She broke off, dabbing a lace trimmed handkerchief to her eyes. Rose covered the woman's hands with her own and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"I know this must be very difficult for you," she told Mrs. Clark in a soft voice. "I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now. But I promise you, every bit of information is vital."

"Yes, sorry, I don't know what came over me," Mrs. Clark began. Dr. Clark placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rose strained her hearing, trying to identify the odd quality that didn't seem quite right about her voice when the door to her father's office flew open and made everyone jump.

"Rose! There you are! Your station manager is absolutely _brilliant,_, Pete. He found these incredible pastries and there was _banana,_ Rose! A perfect banana Danish sitting right there in the box!"

"Doctor," Rose hissed, fully expecting to give him a firm reprimand about his unprofessional behavior but found her lips suddenly fused with his. It was a brief kiss, but intense as usual, and Rose flushed bright crimson when she pulled away and met the confused gazes of Dr. and Mrs. Clark.

"Sorry, um, this is Dr. John Smith, one of our...consultants..." Rose flushed further at Dr. Clark's raised eyebrow. "And my...um...partner. Obviously. I don't let random men come in and kiss me..."

"That's quite all right, dear," Mrs. Clark assured with a small smile. "We were young once as well."

"Is there something you needed, Dr. Smith?" Pete asked, somewhat exasperated.

The Doctor had gone oddly quiet since he'd pulled out of their kiss. He was staring at the Clarks, an odd expression on his face, the expression on his face the one that Rose knew meant he was about to be ridiculously clever.

He sniffed the air deeply before opening his eyes and grinning widely. He snatched the handkerchief out of Mrs. Clark's hands and, ignoring her indignant cry, darted out his tongue to lick at the damp spots her tears had left.

"Doctor!" Rose practically screeched, darting up from her chair. "What on Earth has gotten into you? You can't just..."

"Rose!" he interrupted, his face breaking into a grin of pure delight. "I promise, you can yell at me all you like later on but _really!"_ He turned to the Clarks and began heartily pumping their hands. "I don't know how you managed to get here, but well done! _Really, really_ well done! Brilliant, in fact!"

"Doctor," Rose prompted him impatiently.

He pulled out of his crouch and beamed at her. "Rose, this lovely couple are visiting Earth from two galaxies over. They're from _Liptoria!_ How _brilliant_ is that?"

His grin faded as he glanced around the room. Everyone, including Rose, was staring at him with a completely gobsmacked expression, including her father.

"Oh," he said. "Right. Yes, well, we've got some explaining to do, haven't we?"

"Time Lord," Dr. Clark breathed. "We thought..."

"That we were extinct," the Doctor finished for them. "Yes, well, just me lately. Now the questions is, _what_ are you two doing on Earth?"

"I'm sorry," Pete interrupted. "But am I the _only_ sane person in the room?"

"It's true, Dad," Rose told him quietly.

"So it's not only that you two are aliens," he gestured to the Clarks. "But my daughter is _dating_ one? I had enough trouble believing that you were psychic, and now this?"

"_Well_..." the Doctor began, and Rose had to cover her face to hide her smile at his _I am about to lecture_ tone. "I wouldn't call myself psychic, Pete. That's such a human term. My species could read timelines. We are touch telepaths as well. Of course, I don't _always_ need to rely on those. Simply the pheromones and chemicals you excrete can tell me just as much about your state of mind as telepathy sometimes..."

"Doctor," Rose crossed the room and stopped him mid-ramble with a hand on his arm. "Right now, I think we need to concentrate on finding Theresa, yeah? We can talk about all of this later, right, Dad?"

Pete shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "Right, yes, of course. Rose, let's agree not to tell your mother about any of this just yet?"

"Lips are sealed," she agreed. "Now, Dr. and Mrs. Clark...can you think of anyone who might want to harm you or your family? I know your research is controversial, but there was no ransom demand, no note. If someone were kidnapping your daughter to make a statement, they would want us to know, wouldn't they?"

"Right you are, Inspector Tyler," the Doctor said with pride in his voice. Rose didn't bother to hide her grin. "So, I think our next step would be to check the location where she disappeared. Do we have her mobile?"

"Haven't found it yet," Pete replied. "She was somewhere between King's College and wherever she was meeting her friend."

"I didn't get a chance to find out where or who," Mrs. Clark interjected. "The call cut off before she told me."

"So we'll need to ask around, see who she was meeting, find out where, see if we can map out her route. Maybe someone found the phone and turned it in..." Rose began planning out loud.

"Oh, there's no need for all that," the Doctor told her. "Dr. Clark, Mrs. Clark, if I could have her mobile number..."

"Doctor, you haven't even been assigned to this case," Pete replied, sounding exasperated. "I need approval to hire you, but of course our office lackeys can't be bothered to come in on a Sunday..."

"I'm just helping out my lady, Pete," the Doctor replied with a grin. "Consider it thanks for not committing xenocide when you found out your daughter was dating an alien."

"That has yet to be decided," Pete murmured. "I want to be kept up to date on everything, Rose. Fill Mickey in when he and Jake get back."

"Got it," Rose replied. She turned back to the Clarks and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, if anyone can find your daughter, it's the Doctor. You're in good hands."

The Doctor had quickly used Theresa's mobile number to activate her GPS and located her phone's last known coordinates within ten minutes. Rose was certain that hacking into satellite data was questionable, but he reassured her it was perfectly acceptable and that they wouldn't even know he was there. He drove them to the location while Rose gave Mickey and Jake the information she had thus far. They agreed to meet when they were done investigating a convenience store robbery and rang off just as Rose and the Doctor exited his little blue Echo.

The Doctor was carrying a small, odd-looking device that he had cobbled together from the contents of his pockets. It was beeping, the tiny screen covered in odd, concentric circles that seemed to make sense to him, because he began walking towards a set of garbage cans nearly the moment he hopped out of the vehicle.

"Ah-_ha!_" he crowed triumphantly, crouching down and pulling on the latex glove Rose had handy. He rummaged around under one of the cans and, after several moments, pulled a bedazzled smart phone. Rose held out an evidence baggie and the Doctor dutifully dropped in the phone before sealing it up and snatching it from her hand.

"This might give us something," he muttered, pressing buttons through the plastic and uttering a Gallifreyan swear when the phone proved to be dead. He glanced around them and tugged the sonic out of his pocket, aiming it at the cell's battery and Rose watched in awe as the tiny device lit up inside the bag.

"This is _so_ tampering with evidence," she muttered.

"The sonic leaves no traces, Rose...at least, not to 21st Century humans anyway. But there's nothing here, no threatening text messages, no calls from odd numbers...but ohhhhh..."

Rose watched as a soft breeze swept leaves and debris all around them and the Doctor breathed in deeply through his nose. "A transmat...I can smell it on the air, it's faint, but definitely there..." He met Rose's gaze, and she gasped at the storm brewing in his dark eyes. "A transmat has no place on 21st Century Earth. Rose, we have to get back to the TARDIS so she can analyze the phone."

"Will that do anything?" Rose asked as they both hurried back towards the car.

"I don't know," he muttered, buckling himself into the driver's seat. "But it's the only thing we have so far."

"Nothing," he murmured as they stood around the TARDIS console almost a half an hour later. "There's trace bits of the transmat radiation in the phone, but not enough to track it. Still, though..."

"Means we're dealing with something alien in origin," Rose finished for him, staring at the strange, circular lettering on the view screen. "But why? What would they want with Theresa?"

"I have no idea," he said, heaving a sigh. He turned to Rose and gave her a small smile, reaching out and pulling her into his side. Rose felt a content hum escape her throat as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "More and more questions, aren't there?"

"But that's what we're good at, yeah?" she replied. "Answering questions, figuring things out. The word 'brilliant' has been bandied about on more than one occasion."

"We are that," he told her, leaning in the brush his lips gently against hers. Rose smiled into the kiss and stood on her tiptoes to press more firmly against him. It was so easy to get lost in him, in his cool kisses that made the universe disappear around them. Embarrassingly quickly, Rose's heart was racing, she was entwining her fingers in his hair, and he was shifting her so she was pressed against the console.

"Whoa!" a familiar voice called out, causing them to break apart guiltily. Jack was standing in the doorway of the TARDIS and grinning at them saucily. "You guys know I'm all for a little afternoon delight, but you might want to put yourselves together. Jake and Mickey are on their way to the office."

Rose glanced up at the Doctor. "Do you think we should tell them?"

"Rose, give them some credit," he replied. "I think they know we're dating."

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and smacked him lightly on the chest. "No, you big dolt. About you, where you're from, about the case...?"

"Ohhhhhh!" He winked at her and pulled them apart, allowing her to shift away from the console but still keeping her tucked into his side. "Well, yes, I suppose it's important to keep them in the loop. And obviously you trust them, so..."

"Nothing will happen," she assured him. They had reached Jack and the three of them left the TARDIS, the Doctor locking her securely behind him. "I've known Mickey my whole life, remember? And Jake is a good friend. And if they're going to be on the case, there are things they'll need to know."

"Hello, hello! We're here. We brought food. What's the latest?"

Mickey and Jake barreled into the office, laden down with take-out bags and looking exhausted. "We just spent all morning trying to figure out who was trying to break into a bank on a Sunday morning," Jake told them as they set the food down on the coffee table.

"And? What did you find?" Rose prompted.

"We found a fried rat after about six hours on the scene," Mickey grumbled. "His chewing tripped the alarm system. Here we were thinking someone had slept in the vault. Inside job, you know?"

"It's rarely that interesting," Jack replied, gathering paper plates and utensils and joining them around the tiny table. "Coffee?"

"Oh _God,_ yes!" Mickey groaned. "Tell us about this new case then. Missing person?"

"Erm...yeah...something like that," Rose replied evasively. She met the Doctor's gaze as he fiddled with the coffee grinder. He gave her a meaningful look as he switched on the device, the loud whirring enough to buy her a few minutes to compose herself and figure out how best to turn her best friend and partners' worlds upside down.

She took a deep breath as the machine came to a gradual stop. Mickey and Jake were both watching her, waiting for her to elaborate as they filled their plates. She busied herself with the food containers instead and spent an inordinate amount of time locating her cheeseburger, rearranging the toppings, making a detailed smiley face out of ketchup before squishing it with the bun, and adding the perfect proportions of salt and vinegar to her chips. The Doctor handed her over a mug of coffee and scoffed when she beamed at him gratefully.

"Such a refined palette," he teased gently, setting two more mugs down in front of Jake and Mickey and Jake. He perched himself on the arm of her chair and stole a chip, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze when she turned to glare at him. "Go on."

Rose nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, turns out there's...more to this case than we initially realized."

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Sounded pretty straightforward when Pete called us earlier. What changed?"

"We were able to find her phone," Rose continued.

"How'd you manage _that?_" Jake cut in. "I thought the mom didn't know where she was going, who she was meeting, or anything! That's like finding a needle in a haystack!"

Rose hesitated, glancing once more up at the Doctor, who nodded at her to continue. "The Doctor managed it. You know how good he is with computers..."

"Rose, there's no way he could have found that information, especially because the phone's battery _had _to be completely dead!"

The Doctor sighed, jumping in before Rose could reply. "I simply triangulated the last known coordinates of the cellular towers while it was in use. Easy peasy, once I managed to hack into the satellite information from her mobile provider..."

"Doctor, we knew you were good with computers, but I don't think that's even possible!" Mickey laughed. "How could you possibly manage all that in the space of, what..." He glanced down at his watch. "Three hours?"

Rose had painted herself into a corner. She had no idea what to say, how to explain to her partners and friends that the man they'd been working with for over half a year was actually a time-traveling alien. She tried to prepare something else evasive, something to buy her more time when she felt the Doctor huff behind her.

"It's because I'm an alien, Mickey."

The pair of them stared at him, wearing identical mouths-agape expressions. Time stretched out, and it felt like hours before either of them moved. Then, very suddenly, Mickey jumped from his chair, eyes wide as he pointed excitedly at the Doctor.

"_I knew it!"_


End file.
